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FABRICS

Caversham Textiles

he Caversham Textiles story starts Over the years hundreds of local and Caversham Textiles was launched
in 1985 with the establishment international artists have passed through at Design Indaba in February 2015,
Tof The Caversham Press, the first the studio, creating limited edition prints and over the following years they
private collaborative printmaking studio and books that have been exhibited produced five collections and attended
in South Africa, and is the brainchild of around the world. Many would stay at numerous trade shows. The designs
Malcom Christian, a Master Printmaker. The Press, as it is fondly known, at first in from these collections have travelled
Malcolm, who had been lecturing the main house and later in the purpose- far and wide, from The Virgin Islands
Fine Art at WITS, saw the need for a built cottages. In the evening the artists to New Zealand. The printing process
studio that would allow artists to create would sit down with Malcolm and family was always so satisfying to observe, as
their own work and have it produced in to hearty meals prepared by Ros. these striking fabrics were created for
collaboration with him. When visiting This was the norm in the Christian clients - and a bit of heart and soul was
friends in the KwaZulu Natal Midlands, household, with family life intertwined included with the orders. The process
he walked past an old Methodist chapel with those of visiting artists and their however was labour intensive, and so
and saw in this the possibility of making own unique stories. Sally, Malcolm’s it was with great heartache that in 2020
his vision a reality. Purchase completed, daughter, grew up immersed in this Caversham Textiles made the decision
he and Ros and the family moved down colourful environment and went on to to move away from hand printing and
to the beautiful Caversham Valley and so complete a BA(Hons) degree in Fashion across to a digital process. This decision
The Caversham Press was born. in Durban, where she then settled and meant giving up the initial focus of
worked for various designers and clothing traditional printing methods and
manufacturers until she married, had meant outsourcing the printing. The
children and yearned for the quieter life move to digital has opened the doors
of the Midlands. to many other designs that would not
It was decided that Sally would come have been possible through the hand
back to the Midlands and help with things printing process, allowing Caversham
at The Press. However, Malcolm who Textiles the opportunity to work on
strongly believes in an individual’s legacy, some amazing collaborations with
felt she should have something of her own other South African women, artists, and
that was linked to The Press. Before leaving surface designers, to great acclaim.
Durban, she and Malcolm had dabbled While Caversham Textiles no longer
in some textile printing for a children’s prints in-house, they still keep the
decor range that Sally had created. Textiles production local, utilising printers
had always been one of her passions from based in Durban. Each print house offers
early days, having built an appreciation different options, providing Caversham
of fabrics through Ros’s love of beautiful with a wide offering. The end use for
fabrics and having been taught to sew at the fabrics varies depending on the base
a young age. Together they came to the cloth and ranges from soft furnishing to
decision to start a fabric house specialising upholstery weight. Custom orders are
in handprinted fabrics, in keeping with the offered to the trade. dw
ethos of The Press, and with the designs
based on elements derived from the Press’s www.cavershamtextiles.com
archive of original prints.

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